The present invention relates to a composition that, when hydrated, produces a smooth and creamy textured, glossy pudding.
In recent years there has been a pronounced trend towards convenience in food preparation. Instant puddings--i.e. a pudding that can be simply prepared from a dry mix without cooking--are illustrative of this trend. However, as this trend matured, a movement within the convenience food industry to improve the product quality of convenience foods has developed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,592 issued to Carpenter et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference, describes a pudding mix composition which, when combined with milk, produces a desirable, creamy, glossy pudding. Nonetheless, Carpenter et al. teach that it is critical to making a glossy, creamy pudding with fine particles of pregelatinized starch that less than a maximum of 1%, by weight, of the starch has a particle diameter greater than 63 microns, (i.e. retained on a 230 mesh U.S. Standard screen).
Commercial pregelatinized starch does not meet the requirements of Carpenter et al. without further processing. Rather, a substantial portion of the pregelatinized starch particles will, initially, exceed a 63 micron diameter--typically 40% or more. These large starch particles must be repeatedly ground and sieved to ensure that less than 1% of the starch is retained on a 230 mesh screen (U.S. Standard size) (63 microns or greater). If these strict guidelines are followed, then the improved product of Carpenter et al. is obtained. It is noteworthy that, while the amount of starch that must be reground can be reduced by adjusting either the pregelatinization process or the grinders to produce very small particles, the usual result of these procedures is that more than 80% of the starch will be less than 38 microns in diameter (pass through a 400 mesh U.S. Standard screen). However, Carpenter et al. teach that it is also critical that 80% or less of the starch particles have a diameter less than 38 microns. Thus the Carpenter et al. tolerances necessitate recycling the starch particles--seiving, and regrinding--thereby increasing the cost of production. Consequently, there is a need for a more tolerant instant pudding composition which will still produce a pudding with improved textural properties characteristic of small starch particles.
An alternative means for using fine starch particles in an instant pudding mix is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,143 issued to Hinz et al. Hinz et al. teach that fine starch particles can be used in an instant pudding mix, only if their rate of hydration is retarded. Hinz et al. achieve the hydration rate retardation by coating the starch with a hydrophobic material, such as a lipid or talc. The problem Hinz et al. recognized is that when fine starch particles hydrate, there is a tendency for these particles to lump to the point where it is quite difficult to prepare a smooth pudding product.